A woman works by preparing hamburgers and pizzas only for photos, a job with which she wins 3,500 euros on average per month, since she is one of the few culinary stylists in France. He has been devoting himself for 25 years. Your work requires unusual tools, from tweezers to bottles of olive oil.
Anne-Sophie, 47, is the culprit that the hamburger of your dish never looks like that of the ad. Because, in the filming sets, it is the star, and nothing is left to chance: each sesame seed, each drop of sauce, is meticulously placed. The objective is simple: make the sandwich irresistible in view, even if it is not destined to be eaten.
You may be interested
Work advances towards the new time record that will harden the control of overtime
José Luis Almeida, president of the hospitality of Spain, applauds the rejection of the reduction of the working day: “common sense above political ideas”
This woman knows this meticulous work in the heart. He has been working as a gastronomic stylist in Paris for 25 years (@stylisteculinaireparis). “I discovered and decided to dedicate myself to this work at eleven.
He trained in the supérieure École of Cuisine Française, where she was the only woman in her class, Anne-Sophie made her way quickly out of traditional kitchens, with a clear objective: to become a gastronomic stylist. After performing practices in restaurants in San Francisco and Boston, he left traditional kitchens as soon as he graduated.
“I needed freedom and I already knew where I wanted to get. At age 14, I was already stylist during school holidays.”
Initially he focused on culinary publication, so he dedicated himself to photographing recipes for books in Flammarion and Marabout, before quickly moving to advertising. “Being in a two -day photographic session instead of working in a book for a month was much more stimulating,” says the protagonist
Work with brands like Nestlé, Kinder or KFC
Currently, Anne-Sophie has between three and four orders per month for brands such as Nespresso, KFC, Quick and Kinder. Its expertise is key for hamburgers, coffees and beers to look better, and to achieve unexpected textures. “I worked in a campaign of l’Oréal. The cream is a bit like whipped egg whites: you have to give it the appropriate volume and light.” Nothing is left to chance: rehearses several days at home, buy from first level suppliers and reaches the set with everything ready: dentist tweezers to place each ingredient to the millimeter, olive oil to provide brightness and a water jet to return freshness in the last second …
The pressure is constant: everything should be perfect in fifteen minutes, sometimes less. A pizza, for example, is filmed in a minute for cheese to keep its elasticity. A spot can demand to produce fifty sandwiches or one hundred pizzas in a single day. Under the heat of the spotlights, each product is replaced every three minutes. “It is a stressful work, but I love that feeling of knot in my stomach. If I’m wrong, the whole project is,” he confesses.
Charges 3,500 euros per month of average
In economic terms, Anne-Sophie today enters an average of 3,500 euros net per month. Who begins charges between 350 euros and 400 euros per day. The rates depend on the project and the renown of the stylist, in a very competitive market. “We are less than ten in France who usually work for great brands,” explains the stylist. There is no specific federation or schools: the way of entry is to learn next to a recognized professional.
Although the experience remains highly valued, the future of the restless profession in the face of the rise of artificial intelligence, capable of generating hyperrealistic images. “For now, my phone keeps playing. But if one day it stops ringing, I will worry,” says Anne-Sophie. Today brands seek authenticity: less tricks, less endless shots and more realism. “Now we accept that a ketchup line overflows. We even perform imperfections.”